Shoe-protector.



R. P. LLOYD.

SHOE PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. n, 1915.

Patented May 1, 1917.

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RICHARD PEARSON LLOYD, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

SHOE-PROTECTOR.

Application filed October 11, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD PnAnsoN LLoYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Shoe- Protectors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to protectors for the toes of shoes. It is particularly adapted for use by those ball players who in throwing or pitching drag one foot along the ground, tending to cause excessive wear at the toe of one shoe. The invention is also well adapted for use in many other instances, for example, in tobogganing, where the person who steers usually does so by constantly dragging the toe of one foot on the ground.

The object of this invention is to provide such a protector which may be simple in construction, very durable in use, adapted to be easily attached to the shoe and firmly held thereon when attached but readily removed when desired.

My invention is hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings which show a particular embodiment of the same, and the essential charactcristics are set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my toe protector; Fig. 2 is an elevation looking toward the inner side of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan of the metal portion of the toe protector, and Fig. 4C is a plan of a portion of a shoe with my toe protector secured in position thereon.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, 5 indicates a thin flat plate having an upwardly extending integral flange 6 adapted to extend around the forward end of the toe and along the inner side of the foot for a considerable distance, in contact with the sole A of the shoe B.

Thebottom plate is provided with a series of counter-sunk screw holes 8 suitably spaced apart and adapted to receive short screws 9 extending upwardly into the sole of the shoe A as indicated in Fig. 2. The metal between the several screw holes is preferably cut away in the form of scallops for the purpose of reducing the weight of the casting.

An additional guard 10 is preferably secured at its lower edge to the flange 6 by any suitable means, such as rivets 11, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Serial No. 55,133.

extends upwardly and is curved to fit over the toe of the shoe. Its forward and rear edges preferably meet adjacent one of the lower eyelets C of the shoe, so that the lace I) may extend through an eyelet 12 in this upper guard and thereby draw it tightly over the toe, securing the upper portion of the guard in position. This guard is preferably of a flexible material, such as fabric or leather (leather being preferred on account of its durability). This guard is adapted to protect the upper of the shoe from the wear consequent to dragging the toe along the ground, and is particularly useful where the wearer drags the foot in such a manner that the plate does not extend high enough to prevent such wear.

If desired, the plate may serve to carry downwardly extending spikes 15 of steel or like material to prevent slipping.

While the metal portion may be made of any suitable material, I prefer to construct the same of aluminum because of its lightness and non-corrosive properties. It will be seen from the foregoing description that I have provided a toe protector which may be readily placed in position and secured to the shoe. It will be noted that the flexible upper portion may be conveniently adjusted to fit snugly, even though the eyelet 12 does e not register with the lower eyelet of the shoe, by merely extending the lace passing through the nearest eyelet C and through the eyelet 12, drawing the leather portion snugly to position. IVhile toe guards of various kinds have been heretofore used, they were usually required to be fitted to the shoe by a skilled workman and were sometimes built into the forward part of the shoe, but by my invention the expense of the toe guard is greatly reduced and any one can fit the same to the shoe. Accordingly, my invention fills a long-felt want, as it is obvious that if the wear due to dragging such as described were borne by the toe of the shoe itself it would become worn through in one spot while the rest of the shoe remained in good condition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a toe protector, the combination of a stiff member having a fiat plate-like portion adapted to extend under a portion of a shoe sole near the front, and a wall rising from the outer edge of the plate-like portion and curved to extend around a portion of the toe of the shoe and extending for a distance along the edge of the shoe sole on the inner side of the foot, and a flexible member secured to said wall and shaped to lie over the inner part of the toe portion of the shoe while leaving the outer part substantially uncovered and formed to come to a corner adjacent to the shoe lace of the shoe and provided with an eyelet at such corner.

2. In a toe protector for shoes the combination of an integral metal member comprising a wall adapted to extend across the forward portion of the shoe curving part way around the toe, and a plate portion extending inwardly from the lower edge of the wall and adapted to lie on the under side of a shoe sole, and a flexible member of approximately rectangular ;t'orm riveted to the inner side of said curved Wall and adapted to overlie the innermost part of the toe portion of the shoe while leaving the outermost part uncovered, said flexible member having an opening adjacent to its free corner.

3. The combination with a shoe provided with lacing eyelets and a lace, of a protector for the toe portion comprising a metal member extending beneath and secured to the under side of the shoe sole and a curved vertical Wall extending part way about the toe and to the rear thereof on the inner side, and a flexible member secured to the vertieal wall of the metal member and overlying approximately two-thirds of the toe portion of the shoe while having the remainder of the toe portion uncovered, said flexible member being provided with an eyelet adapted to register with the lowermost eyelet of the inner half of the shoe, whereby the regular shoe lace may pass through said eyelet in the protector.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

RICHARD PEARSON LLOYD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

